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Looks like we got us a good ole fashioned rodeo!
Game 3 started with a bang and a ten man snarl at center ice. For a minut, I thought I was watching the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks Game 3. Bodies hit the ice and the disdain and hatred arrived, not a moment too soon, to the building at the convergence of Lake Erie and the Niagara River. Buffalo had its hate on, and they didn't waste time dancing with the Canes. They stepped to the middle of the ring and demanded respect.
" The momentum seems to shift back and forth with each shift..... crazy!",said Hurricanes forward, Cory Stillman.
Crazy indeed.
Buffaloate its Wheaties and they swung anemphatic two by four in the face of The Hurricanes in Game 3.
Advantage Buffalo.
It looked like the Buffalo Bills vs. The Carolina Panthers for the first eighteen minutes of this game. Buffalo were smarting from the physicality that The Canes dished out on Monday night. On this night, Lindy Ruff's troops took ourt ther frustrations on the guys with white shirts on. I counted seven thunderous body checks that the Sabres leveled on The Canes. Paul Gaustad, Jeff Jillson, Toni Lydman, Al Kotalik, and the rest of the Sabres packed their lunchbox andmorphed from finesse team to thegrinding, call-your-mama- a-Deisel-driving-dyke mode. It worked.
The Sabres have multiple personalities. They are like Cybil.
If you want to slug, they'll slug back.If you want to play pond hockey, they'll do that, too.
Lindy Ruff has been preaching "Take TheBodyand Move You Feet" for the past two days, and his team responded .
"Tonight was a big night for us, we came back home, and, we had to show them what we're made of . We proved that when we play all togther for sixty minutes, we're tough to beat", said Sabre forward JP Dumont, the game's third star with one goal and two assists.
I parked behing the Aud and I walked through three different lots to get to the Arena. The crowd was amped-up, and they were ready to play a role in this game. The Sabres fed off the crowd noise, especially in the second period, where for a seven minute stretch that Carolina were stuck in quicksand. They were slow, they were dopey, and they were outshot 18-9 in the second. Ar the end of forty minutes, the Sabres haddrilled 29 shots on young Ward, to sixteen Canes shots on Ryan Miller.
Buffalo played the second period at a furious pace, after Captain Chris Drury tipped home a Kotalik point shot with 1:02 left in the firstperiod. Buffalo's lit the match that sparked their second period blitzkrieg. Co-Captain Danny Briere lit the lamp twice in the seven minute span that saw the Canes lose their cool. They committed too many turnovers in the neutral zone and they took too mant stupid penalties.
" We had a lot of shots, and we had some really good powerplays to give us momentum", recalled Dumont. You'll rcall that Lindy Ruff pulled Dumont, Briere,and Hect aside in Tuesday's practice and the group that this game was in their hands.
Mission accomplished.
"Tonight our line scored some big golas...we'll take it and get ready for the next one".
*******
Buffalo took the body, and The Canes took a seat--- in the box that is.
Carolina took five minors in the first, and ,three in the second period.
Buffalo finsihed 2-7 on the PP, while the Canes cashed in once with the man advantage.
*****
Bad News Travels Fast:
On my way out of the building, Buffalo Dman, Henrik Tallinder, passed by me in the hallway--- wearing a sling on his left arm.
Tallinder missed 6 minutes in the third period with the yet to be determined injury. Tallinder and Lydman have been Buffalo's best D pairing in these playoffs, each went into Game 3 +14. Jillson and Fitzpatrick were given more ice time in the third due to the loss of Tallinder, and they showed signs of fatigue on the PK late in the third period. Eric Stall was double-shifting to get the tie, andhe nearly did so with under two minutes to play. Tallinder plays against the other team's top forwards, and his injury would set Buffalo's D back considerably. Teppo Numminen and Dmitri Kalinin are already out of the lineup. Good news is, Teppo will likely return to the lineup for Game 4 on Friday night.
I'll be at sabres practice at Moon Thurdsay and I'll get the scoop on the extent Tallinder's injury.
*****
Jeff Jillson made his prescnce felt early in this game. Filling in for the injured Numminen, Jillson played his ass of in the win. He threw his body around, he was strong on the PP and PK, and he competed hard all night long.
" I had the butterflies,I hadn't played an NHL game in a while, and I just wanted to keep my game simple.The first few shifts, I just wanted to concentrtae on making that first pass, and try to get in there as quick as possible to take a hit and give a hit". Jillson is yet another brick in the wall . Another Amerk making a big, bold statement that he belongs in the Sabres lineup.
"I think he did a great job", said Jay McKee of Jillson after the game. " To come in a situation in the Conference Final, when you haven't played aan NHL game in a while is a lot of pressure. His big hit in the second period--we really gained momentum from that. He was wonderful tonight".
Good on 'em.
Jillson earned the right to play again Friday night. We'll see what happens with Tallinder in the next day.
******
The Bathrobe had himself a rather memorable Game 3: a goal, an untimely penalty in the second period, and, he was on the receiving end of some solid body contact.
How will he deal with the loss?
"Go to bed, wake up tomorrow, and forget about it. We're down 2-1. Its not the end of the world. We'll come back and try to tie it up in Game 4.
*******
Cam Ward has never seen a second period barrage like the one he withstood in Game 3.
Cam got the gong at the 32:55 mark of the game, after giveing up 4 golas on 26 Buffalo shots. GONG !!He wishes he had it to do all over again
"Its extremely frustrating. I wanted to be on the ice to battle through the moments... for whatever reason, switching goalies sparks the team sometimes. "
" I understand the decision".
"When we made the switch, it gave the team a spark".
"They came out excited and they fed of their crowd. they moved the puck really well".
"I expect to play on Friday. Its the coaches decision. I'll prepare myself as if I am playing, and I'm sure Marty (Gerber) will the same".
When asked which goaltender starts Game 4, Laviolette remarker: " I can't say right now".
*****
I'll be at Sabres practice Thursady. More on Tallinder, Connolly, Mair, Numminen, and Vanek.
Oddly, The Canes will not skate in Buffalo on Thursday.
*******
That's my story and I'm stickin to it......
Garth
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